Do Pets See in Color?

Many believed for a long time that pets (dogs and cats especially) only see in black and white. This, is in fact, a myth! Photo by Ivana S.

Dogs and cats can see in color, but they are color blind. This means that they only see blues and greens. Photo by Maggie N.

This makes it so they only see muted colors and have difficulty seeing colors that belong to the red family.

Now that science has given us this knowledge, there are many behavioral researchers testing and showing how dogs and cats can possibly see color. Photo by Sankari Sweetie

However, instead of seeing bright colors, scientists believe that dogs see colors in a darker range. Photo by Scout

Scientists also believe that dogs can see shades of blue and green better than shades of red.

If you have ever sat in science class and heard your teacher talking about cones and rods, this is also relative to our furry friends! Dogs and cats have more rods in their eyes than humans, meaning that they're able to see better at night.

Some snakes use thermal sensors to see! Which means they can see warm bodies even up to a meter away! It is like they have their own built in infrared cameras! Because of this, some snakes see much better at night.

Mice and rats do not have great vision therefore, their whiskers are essential to helping them navigate their surroundings!

Just like us humans, our pets vision can get worse over the years. Pets do not wear glasses or contacts so it is important to monitor their eyes for cloudiness or changes. Plus it is good form to look them in the eyes and tell them how much you love them! Photo by Ava. B